


The Scarecrow´s Bride

by BunnyWhite350



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Anxiety Attacks, Bittersweet Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Smut, F/M, Light Angst, Mentions of Lesbianism, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Psychological Horror, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Some Humor, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-07-13 11:43:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16017188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnyWhite350/pseuds/BunnyWhite350
Summary: In a nightmare or hallucination, when do you realize that its all in your head or that you are dreaming? Do you wait until you wake up or do you look for errors in that reality? It´s hard, isn't it?, specially when you believe that what are you seeing is real, no matter how dumb or impossible it is. There is always a way, you say? Alright, here is a different question; When do you realize you are insane?~*~Story takes place when Jonathan Crane was still a Professor at Gotham University. From all his top students, one in particular was always a curious, dedicated and fearless student. This last thing bother him madly, so he decided to torment her and use her as his guinea pig in order to discover her greatest fears. And maybe with the results he could advance a little more in his research. However he didn´t expect growing fond of her...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I can explain myself! And my weird kink for bad guys from video games...Who am I kidding? I got nothing. The best part is, that soon is Albert Wesker turn. So...yeah. Anyways!
> 
> I must say! I personally love the character of Scarecrow, I think he is incredibly underrated and overshadow by the Joker. His origins, story arc and his role in several of the Batman movies/comics/video games is incredible. Although I don´t personally liked the ending of Arkham Knight. I think Scarecrow´s arc was amazing, I loved the evolution and design.  
> In this story I will be mainly using the Jonathan Crane from both the Nolan Movies and the animated series. But I´m also adding some things and references from both comics, and video games...
> 
> Anyways!! I really hope you enjoy this story and please leave a kudo if you enjoy it, they are really appreciated.

The whole room was dark and quiet. Outside, the storm continue with all its might, with no signs of stopping anytime soon. Thunders clapped in the distance while the wind and the heavy drops of rain hit the windows, aggressively and without mercy. 

The door in the right, opened slowly. The light from inside it, made its way through the floor, like a beast devouring the shadows.

In the left corner of the room was a single bed. Someone was sleeping on it, but they were completely covered by the bed sheets. The door opened even more, letting the light land on the bed. The owner moaned a little, and moved under the covers but didn´t wake up.

A dark shadow came closer and stood right in the doorway, stealing almost all the light again. It just stood there, watching in silence. The light, surrounding its thin and large frame. It slowly came closer, and closer to the bed. Until it was standing right next to it. It grabbed one of the bed sheets with its long and almost skeletal fingers, then…

“YO! BUN-BUN!!!” a female voice screamed.

The owner of bed, screamed in horror before failing to the floor with the sheets still covering their whole body.

The dark figure went back to the doorway, and switch the light on while laughing. Finally all the room was fully filled with light.

It had a decent size. Everything was in place and it didn't look cramped. It had one door in the right that lead to the bathroom. The one in the left was the exit. It had also two windows which were covered with curtains of different colors. The right window had a red curtain, while the other one was white. In between the windows, there was a little nightstand with a single lamp on the middle. And on each side of the nightstand was a bed, with the bed sheets and pillows matching the colors of the curtains.

It appeared that the room was divided in half, in a way. While the right side had more objects with warm colors like red, yellow, pink and others. The left side had more white, grey and black colors. Many would think that the owner of the left side of the room was a depressed or a shy person. But in actuality, she honestly loved those colors, not to mention...she was everything but shy.

“Yo! What the hell!? Sam!! What´s wrong with you!!?” a female voice said under the tangled bed sheets

Near the doorway, a woman watched with amusement, how the bed sheets were moving around frenetically. She had a towel around her body. Her white skin was decorated with tiny drops of water that were also falling from her wet, blonde rose gold hair. Her hazel eyes were almond shaped and she had plump lips.

This woman was Samantha Brown, age 26, transferred student from Manchester, Great Britain, and student of Robotics Engineering.

Sam laughed while getting closer and kneel in front of the mess of bed sheets.

“I´m sorry, I´m so sorry. But I had to. I couldn´t resist.” She said while trying to untangle a bed sheet from her roommate´s leg “Maybe you can write about this in your next essay for Mr. Ichabod.”

“And again with the Mr. Ichabod thing!!” she said annoyed before finally coming out from the mountain of bed sheets.

Nikita “Bonnie” Bell, age 25, transferred student from Quebec, Canada and senior student of Psychology. Nikita or Bun-Bun as Sam liked to call her, was a short and thin woman with olive skin. She had big amber eyes and pale lips. Her long black hair almost reached her tights, making it look like a black cascade that covered her whole backside.

“His name is Dr. Crane, have more respect for the poor man. It’s already hard enough that Smith won´t stop making his classes a living hell thanks to his stupidity. The last thing he needs is people to start calling him that way.”

“Alright, alright. I´m sorry. So when are you going to mar-” she was cut short when a pillow hit her face. “Alright, I´m sorry!! No more teasing I promise! After all this is your last year…” She said, part of her happiness leaving her voice.

“Yeah…my last one. At last! I has been fun and all but…I guess nothing lasts forever.” Nikita said a little sad.

“Damn! I still have two and a half more years to go! Are you going to leave me here all alone and forget about me once you are gone?” Sam asked while pouting

“You know very well, that´s not true! I will come back at the end of every semester, take you back to my home town and my mom-”

“Will make me the best pancakes with the best maple syrup?” Sam asked while trying not to laugh, normally that comment bother Nikita.

Nikita just stared at her, yes, she was from Canada! And yes! When she was a kid (and even now, though she didn´t like to admit it) she begged her mother to cook her pancakes for breakfast, every morning. Now that she remember, she was a very chubby kid back then. But damn, what´s with the Maple syrup jokes? She didn´t even get them!

Giving up, she sigh defeated. This was her last year, so she better make it the best year. Nikita came closer to Sam, and hugged her, leaving the older woman confused but hugged her back nonetheless.

“Yeah, I will tell mom to make you the best pancakes with the best maple syrup and then I will take you to the best restaurant in my town and you will finally discover heaven when you try Poutine.”

“Pou...what?”

“Just wait Sam, just wait. Anyway I suppose since you wake me up, it´s already 6am right?”

“Yeah…about that…It´s actually 1am” Sam said "Today someone mess up with one of the robots and it just spilled oil everywhere, so I decide to take a shower. Actually…”

Nikita had zoned out Sam´s voice the moment she said “1am”. She just stared at Sam with a face that didn´t make justice to her internal screaming. Of course! She forgot! Most of Sam´s classes were at night!! Great! Sam notice Nikita´s death glare, her left eye was already twitching.

“Sorry! I told you, I couldn´t resist it. Please don´t be mad. Just go back to sleep and-”

“Aghhh!!”

Nikita tackled Samantha into the ground and started to tickle and pinched her. Sam continue to laugh while trying to hold her towel in place. This continue for a long time until both give up and lie on the floor while giggling. Nikita went back to her bed and Sam to hers. After talking in the dark for an hour and a half, they both fall asleep thinking about how much they would miss each other once Nikita graduated.

~Hours Later~

“I need coffee…” she took a sip from her termo only to feel it was almost empty “I need more coffee.”

Nikita was making her way through the psychology building, looking like a zombie. Sometimes she would bump against other people or in the worse cases a bookshelf or a desk. Her hair was tied in a messy bun that was barely hold in place with an old hair tie. Her attire consisted in a pair of black leggings and sneakers, and a lose grey t-shirt that had the words; **_Me? Weird? Always._** Written on it.

She hoped that Dr. Crane had brought some kind of animal or nasty thing to scare the living lights out of everybody. The man loved to do that for his demonstrations and talks, that would wake her up!

But she doubt it, after all the complains and warnings from the President and the head department of Psychology, he wouldn´t risk it. She honestly didn’t think his classes were that bad, if anything they were very interesting.

Finally she reached her classroom; 35-B. Her hand was about to grab the doorknob when the door violently open, hitting her in the face, and waking her up in the process. Be careful what you wish for...

“And you know what else?! I will have you fired! You will hear the last of me Crane! You- Nikita?!”

“Hi, Smith.”

“I´m so sorry, I didn´t see you.”

Right in front of her, was Richard Smith, senior student in the psychology career, age 29…or at least physically. He was the same height as Nikita, with long brown hair, brown eyes and white skin. He was very overweight, to the point that he was three cakes away from a mobility scooter. One would think that he was victim of bullying thanks to his weight…wrong! HE was the bully, with an explosive personality and a patience that was the equivalent of a half burned match, it was the perfect combination for disaster. And God forgive the poor soul that decided to express freely not agreeing or liking the things he said or believed. And from the looks of it, today´s victim of his tantrums was Dr. Crane.

“Yeah, whatever, now will you excuse me? I need to get in.” she said while trying to enter the classroom

“I don´t know how you waste your time with that buffoon!” he said while turning around ready to leave

“Well you kind of say it, it’s my time I´m wasting not yours.”

“You should waste it in something more productive. I´m sorry again. Would you like me to buy you a cup of coffee? I was already on my way to the cafeteria. But I don´t not what you would like so if you want you ca-”

“No, thanks. I´m already awake.” She said before entering the classroom and closing the door behind her “Ughh! That guy!” she said under her breath. 

“I know, I think while talking to him I lost at least 100 brain cells.” Said a deep, raspy voice behind her ear

Nikita, screamed, while dropping her things in the process. She turned around and glared at the owner of that voice.

Dr. Jonathan Crane, was standing inches away from her. He was way taller (and thinner) than her, to the point that sometimes she felt like a dwarf standing right next to a giant. His overall appearance could only be describe as lanky, but she hated to use that term, mainly thanks to her respect for him.

He was sickly pale, and had striking bright blue eyes, that were partially hidden behind his glasses. Part of his brown hair was covering his eyes, he really needed a haircut, but probably he didn´t care. Funny, considering that once a freshman came to his class wearing sandals and he kicked him out.

“Professor, Please stop doing that.” Nikita said while kneeling down to collect her discarded items “One of these days I´m going to end up in the hospital wing thanks to a heart attack.”

“Why so scared? What were you expecting to see? You know very well that I´m the only one in this room. That is until 8am when class starts. So what do you fear, Miss Bell?”

“Nikita, Professor, Nikita! N.I.K.I.T.A! This is my last year! Please call me by my first name!” She said before standing up

“I may reconsider it.” He chuckle a little “So, this year you are finally graduating. I´m impressed of how fast time flies. It feels like, it was just yesterday when you first came into my classroom as a nervous wreck. And now! Soon enough, you will be in the same level as me! Should I start calling you Doctor?”

“…Well I…” she stutter while a small blush made its way to her cheeks “I mean...if you want to…”

“Now, now, don´t get too cocky. First I need to see that thesis, and when it has my approval then we talk about titles, Miss Bell.”

“Nikita!!” she said a little bit more annoyed

At that moment the old hair tie finally gave up and snapped letting all her hair fall down, covering her whole face.

“Great…now I looked like the girl from The Grudge. This day can't get any worse.”

Dr. Crane came closer to her, and moved a few strands of hair out of the way of her eyes. She hold her breath and freeze in her place. While the blush on her cheeks changed from a pale pink to red.

“You don´t look that terrifying...Now, take a seat, I want you in the front row. This may be your last year but don´t lower your grades. Especially in my class. You are my best student, don´t disappoint me.” He said while walking back to his desk.

“No…I will never do that.” She muttered before getting closer to the front row.

Ever since she was transferred to Gotham´s University. Dr. Crane kind of grew fond of her. Or how like Sam liked to call it, he fancy her a lot (she wasn´t 100% what that meant…). As soon she was accepted she wasn´t taking any chances or playing games, and after days, and weeks of hard work and studying until high hours of the morning, she became one of the top students in her area. But that wasn´t why Crane liked her, no.

When she first came to his classes, she was nervous thanks to the stories she heard about how creepy and mean he was. But after a while, she ended up liking him and his classes.

Nikita found all the information he shared with them, amusing and extremely interesting. The mind of the human being was interesting by itself, but something about the most primitive actions like fear. That was a whole different subject, a subject she often enjoyed way too much. And Dr. Crane really appreciated that. He had said something along the lines; finally some fresh air and someone who is not pond scum…yeah he was kind of mean.

Little by little, several other students started to fill the classroom. Much to Nikita´s annoyance Smith was back, of course he was. But this time he smelled like hot dogs and body odor mixed with gallons of Axe. The worst part was that he sat next to her, she was tempted to move to the other rows, but Dr. Crane told her to stay there, and also that was her favorite spot. Fuck!

Trying to distract herself from the smell, Nikita took out her glasses and a plain grey notebook from her purse. The notebook was very old and worn-out, some pages were missing and it had some coffee stains in one of the corners.

She looked at the clock, 20 minutes more before class starts. She opened the notebook, its pages were covered with different drawings or doodles of several animals or cartoonish characters.

She searched for a new page and started a new drawing. An artic fox jumping in midair, but it had his tongue out in a very cartoonish way. Sam wouldn´t stop saying she should have considered being an artist or maybe a cartoonist. She told her that she wanted to be a cartoonist, that was her original career dream until-

Dr. Crane had brusquely closed a heavy book, the clap echoed through the whole classroom. Startling or scaring many, Nikita included, making her ruin her drawing. A thick, angry line was now across the fox´s face.

_“Well shit” she thought “I will fix that later, for now. Focus Nikita! ...and also hold your breath unless you want to drown in Axe…Fucking great.”_

Dr. Crane smiled before standing up and making his way to the center of the room, ready to start. New Semester, Same professor.

_“Let´s make them tremble a little, shall we? How about a surprise quiz? Happy New Semester!” he thought while grinning_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: I decide that Nikita refers to her stalker as "them /they" Since she doesn´t know who she or he is. So don´t get confuse it´s only one.  
> Also, also. You will see a special cameo. If you had seen Batman the animated series, you will kind of see the why of this cameo.

~One hour later~

Dr. Crane closed his book once more, the clap scaring the living lights out of everyone again. He loved to do that…way too much. Many cursed or mutter something. Nikita managed to control herself from ripping apart her quiz with her pencil. But she was honestly getting tired of her professor´s dark sense of humor.

“Time is up! Now let´s see if you didn´t kill your brain cells during summer. Pens down, pass the quizzes forward.” He said “Just a reminder, if you fail this one, you may actually lose some points~”

Nikita turned around, grabbed the quizzes, and then add her own. She was proud of herself. That quiz was decently easy. In one or two she may have doubt about the answer but overall it was fine.

“Richard. Richard! Hey fatso!” a female voice said annoyed

She discreetly looked over to her right. Harleen Quinzel, one of the few new freshmen of this year, was trying to catch Richard´s attention by hitting the quizzes on his shoulder. But he ignore her and was desperately trying to erase something. Nikita peeked a little and notice he was trying to erase some kind of drawing. Besides from that the whole quiz was empty. He didn´t even try to complete it!? And then he asks why he is doing so badly! He doesn´t even try. Or did he really forgot what arachnophobia meant?!

Harleen, finally snapped and slapped the quizzes on Richard´s head. He turned around, grabbed the quizzes, put them next to his and then continue to erase the drawing. But much to his bad luck, Dr. Crane was in front of him and almost tear away the quiz from his hands and then collect the others.

“I will give you the results tomorrow. Class Dismiss. Miss Bell, stay for a moment, please.”

Nikita nodded and watched as everyone else leave the classroom with happy faces. Richard almost run to the exit, the moment Dr. Crane said “dismiss”. She was now curious, what did he draw on that quiz? Once everyone was gone, she stood up and came closer to Dr. Crane´s desk. He was looking at some of the quizzes. Sometimes he would smile or chuckled and other times he would mutter something annoyed. He finally put them away and looked at Nikita, who was braiding her hair.

“So…Why you wanted to see me?” Nikita asked when his attention was on her

Dr. Crane stood up and circle his desk, then stopped right in front of her. He relaxed a little and took off his glasses.

“Did they continue before summer break?” he asked, genuine concern was reflected in his eyes and voice

Nikita tense up a little, she knew what he was talking about…And it wasn´t something pleasant to remember. But now she was back, and she had to confront this madness yet again.

It all started during her freshman year. Someone began to follow her. At first (in her denial) she thought it was just coincidence and it was just someone waiting for who knows what. Then she thought it was her imagination. But after spotting them in the distance, staring at her in a very creepy way, for more than once. She had to admit that it was real and happening to her. Nikita didn´t even know who he or she was, thanks to the fact they would always wear black clothes, and they would mainly follow her at night.

After telling this to Sam, they both agreed that the best thing to do was ignore them, make them feel that their presence didn´t bother her. And for a moment it looked like it worked! But it seem that this stalker loved playing mind games on her. While she didn´t spot or see them during her second and third year. In her fourth year, they came back, and this time got more personal.  

In several occasions they sneak into their dorm and steal her personal objects, like her diaries, journals, personal agenda, etc. How did she knew it was them? Easy, the thief never steal anything of real value like Sam´s golden earrings or her jade ring. Things like cash, laptops, debit and credit cards were always stay behind and the things they took were always hers, not Sam´s, hers only.

Their neighbors told them, they didn´t hear or see anything out of the ordinary. Some even deem her and Sam as crazies.

 And finally when the staff from the department of Student Welfare decided to listen to her and Sam´s complains and put some cameras…the stalker stopped. As if they knew that there were now cameras in the hallways and exterior. More than a relief it was very frustrating. Because after that no one from the staff believe them ever again.

Once again during her whole fifth year the stalker disappear only to come back the next one, and this was when things got ugly. Each time she spot them, they would get closer and closer every time. One day she spot them just 3 feet away from her! Three! She run away the moment she saw them that close to her, and even with that distance between them she wasn´t able to recognize them. It happened so fast... Then, once more they just leave her alone during the second semester.

At this point Nikita was on the edge, according to Sam´s, some of her classmates and Dr. Crane´s words she was more jumpy and anxious. She also develop a tendency, each time she felt or had the idea that someone was staring at her. She would feel this horrible need to look behind her or her surroundings. If she didn´t comply, a voice inside her head would start telling her things until she look behind.

When the stress and anxiety didn´t torment her during the day, the nightmares and insomnia would do it at night. She truly believed she was going insane and it didn´t help that no one would believe her or Sam. Maybe it was just her imagination, but her things really disappeared! Or maybe she misplace them? Did she imagine all that?! But she saw them! She did!

And it wasn´t until that year, she finally decide to tell Dr. Crane about all of this…not that she had a choice, after all he found her after everything went to hell...

~2 months ago~

_She just finished the last report for the semester quicker than expected. She thought that maybe Dr. Crane would give her the correction quicker if she deliver it earlier. So there she was, making her way through the Psychology building, her footsteps echoing through the whole hallway. His office was a few classrooms away. After giving to him the report, she and Sam had planned to go out and see a movie. So she had to hurry._

_Then, the lights went out. Nikita slowed down until she stopped. She couldn´t see beyond her nose and her paranoia was getting the best of her. She felt a familiar need to check over her shoulder, but she controlled herself from doing it. There was nothing behind, the stalker wouldn´t risk it. She needed to show her student ID to the security guard before getting into the building! And even with that he very reluctantly let her in after Dr. Crane informed him via phone that she was indeed coming to see him._

_Nikita took a few deep breaths, before taking out her phone to illuminate her way, then continue to walk. The need to check over her shoulder didn´t go away, instead that little voice accompany that need by singing; “They are going to get you….They are going to get you.” She quickly silence that voice by bringing back her logic and argument of the security guard. He wasn´t letting in anyone else. Just her and her only!_

_Then she heard it, another pair of footsteps. She stopped and the other set of footsteps did the same. That little voice returned, mocking her and repeating over and over again of how it was right and now the stalker was going to get her. Nikita collect all her courage, despite her irregular breathing and sweaty palms, she turned around! Nothing…_

_“Of course, there is no one here…Just my imagination.” She murmured_

_Then, from the end of the hallway a door slammed closed. The sudden noise made her dropped her phone. Nikita was left back in darkness, she was now panicking and breathing quickly. She blindly started to walk with her arms extended, while trying to hold back her tears._

_The second pair of footsteps began to follow her again. They walked faster and faster and faster! It was running now! She try to walk faster but miserably crash against something and fall down._

_…They stopped…there was nothing but her breathing, she awkwardly stood up. For a moment she felt a false sense of security. Thinking it was a dream or she was genuinely going insane. But the good thing about either of those options was that if her stalker was really inside her mind, they couldn’t hurt her once she wake up from that madness of a dream._

_Nikita took another few deep breaths, then turned around and bump into someone. She thought it was Dr. Crane and was about to apologize. When a pair of long arms, grabbed her neck and started to choke her while screaming and laughing like a maniac. It´s black arms quickly started to melt, becoming a tar like substance that made it´s way to her face and neck. The substance was swallowing her!! She tried to rip that thing off her face while screaming for help. She then manage to blindly hit them, they let go of her and she run away._

_Nikita enter in an open classroom, and hide under a desk. She was a panting mess with angry red scratches in her cheeks and neck. She tried to calm down but it wasn´t over yet. She heard footsteps quickly making their way inside the classroom. Her heart was racing, she put her hand over her mouth and try to hold her breath. The footsteps came closer, and closer to the desk. The voice inside her head, started to sing again; They are going to get you~ you have no escape~ they are going to get you~ you are dead~_

_But then, the lights came back on and the footsteps stopped. Nikita stayed there for what it felt like an eternity, until she decided to peek over, slowly she crawled to her right and look over. Nothing. No one was there. She exhale relieved, and was about to stand up, when she felt a hand grabbing her shoulder. She screamed with all her might to the point her lungs hurt. Then try to scratch and push whoever was grabbing her, while continue to scream and cry. A familiar voice brought her back to her senses._

_“Nikita! Nikita! It´s me!”_

_Nikita, opened her eyes. In front of her was Dr. Crane. He relaxed his grip on her shoulder once she “calmed down”. She was still shaking and wouldn’t stop babbling; “They got me…they got me.” He took her to his office, where she calm down completely. After minutes of uncomfortable silence, he finally asked what happened. She just broke down and hugged herself. Between sobs she manage to tell him everything that happened the last 6 years._

~End of Flashback~

After that day, once more they stopped and this time somehow, she had the feeling, she wouldn´t see them ever again. Maybe this sensation were her high hopes and her optimism speaking. But she had this false sense of security that once Dr. Crane knew about this, everything would stop.

A childish way of the thinking and the equivalent of sleeping in your parent´s bed would make the monster under it stay away. But after that night, he told her something that none of the other professors, university staff and even students told her; I believe you.

And coming from the person she respected and admire was a lot. He didn´t judge, or mocked her. He saw the scratches in her skin, he saw how terrified she was and he even admits he heard someone running down the hallway before he entered into the classroom where she was hiding. He believe in her! and even told her she wasn´t crazy, she didn´t imagine it! She wasn´t going insane…but she wasn´t dreaming either…that meant the stalker was real…but that also meant that substance was real too. She wasn't sure what happened, maybe it was another one of his mind games. And also, that substance was somewhat familiar to her...

“Well, ever since then I haven´t seen them.” She said a little nervous

“And the voice and that need of yours?” he asked

“It didn´t bother me the whole summer.” She said while trying to look anything but his eyes

Dr. Crane looked at her hands. Without a warning, he grabbed her left hand and made her move closer to him. He notice some scars and bite marks mainly on her thumb, and from the looks of it and her index finger, she had been chewing her nails too.

“Well it may have subside, especially after the recommendations I gave you. But it is certainly coming out in other bad habits.”

“Sorry…”Nikita murmured “I just can´t help it. I-”

“No, no, no, no. Don´t come to me saying you can´t, Miss Bell.” He cut her off while letting go of her hand “Either you want or don´t want. Not can´t. You are sane and capable enough to understand my instructions of how can you can get better. So don´t come at me saying you can´t follow them. The instructions aren´t clear enough? Then let me repeat them for you. But don´t say, can´t. I thought I teach you better.”

Each word hit her hard. He was disappointed, very disappointed. She also felt disappointed about failing herself, but it didn´t hurt as much as falling him. Something awful, she knows, but after all this time, it was still there. It never left…

Nikita pushed that thought deep back into the sewers of her mind. There was no time to cry over that. She needed to face the present, she could cry about it another day. But for now, she needed to focus on getting better, making this year the best year, get that stupid stalker captured and not disappointing Dr. Crane any further.

“I tr- I will do my best. I promise! Could you- could you remind me again your instructions? Prof- Doctor Crane?”

Nikita didn´t notice since Dr. Crane´s back was facing her. But the moment she said that sentence. Dr. Crane´s smile almost deformed his face to the point he almost looked like a lunatic, but he recovered quickly putting back on his concerned face. He turned around and nodded to his most precious student. He went to his desk and opened his briefcase. He took a jar with a strange orange liquid inside.

_“Let´s see how much batch number 3 affects you, dear.” He thought_

He came back and give her the jar.

“Make sure to take one tablespoon before going to sleep and after breakfast. If anything happens come to me dear. I hope you get better.”


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Nikita was back in her dorm, it was already nighttime. She was lying on her bed, looking at the roof while listening to Sam talk about some guy she liked, again. Not that she was judging her, no! But, she just didn´t get that need to have a boyfriend.

She had one back in high school, he was a very sweet guy, but it didn´t work out. Many girls of her classroom called her crazy for breaking up with him. She told them it wasn´t a big deal. If anything, it wasn´t what she was hoping for. The whole concept of having a romantic partner was so idealized that by the time someone got into a relationship they end up disappointed, like her.

“I mean, he is so cute and intelligent! The perfect combo!” she said while looking for her books “Maybe by the end of the semester I will- Bun-Bun!  Are you even listening to me?”

“I am. I may not look like it but I am” She said while sitting up “So, by the end of the semester you will what?”

Sam stared at her for a few moments. Nikita was indeed paying attention to her endless talk about Oscar. You gotta love your best friends, especially when they listen to you talk about something they clearly don´t give a shit for hours.

She came closer to her own bed and sat down, facing her roommate. Samantha had to admit there were many things she didn´t know about her best friend, her love life was an example. She knew that was a very personal thing. But sometimes, she just looked so lonely, and she wasn´t speaking about friends or family. She had a lovely and caring mother back in Canada and many true and loyal friends, including her of course. But yet it was like she was missing that special someone…a special someone she was determined to guess who he or even she was to tease her even more! That´s what friends are for.

“Bun-Bun, I know it’s not any of my business. But how come you don´t have a boyfriend?” she asked while smirking

“I´m just not interested. I honestly don´t think is such a big deal or a top priority.” She answered while looking at her nails

“…Are you into girls then?” she asked, her smirk got bigger

 “Sam! For the love of all what is dear to you. Stop jumping into ridiculous conclusions! Just because you haven´t see me with a guy that doesn´t automatically mean I am into girls.” Nikita said annoyed

Sam burst into laughter. For someone who promise not to tease her this year, was sure failing miserably.

Nikita sigh defeated. If Sam only knew… Speaking of that, she did wrote down some little details about her “dates” in her diary…the diary that stalker took. Fuck! If that miserable son of a bitch decided to make the contents of that diary public, Sam wasn´t going to be the only person to tease her until the end of her days.

“Okay, I´m sorry. I´m sorry. But I have to say. I didn´t thought you were into older guys…”

“What the hell does that even mean?” Nikita asked while looking at Sam

“You like Crane don’t you? I know you do! You are practically in love with him. You only talk about him.”

 “Okay, first of all! He is like what? 30? 35? I don´t even know! Two he is my professor, a relationship like this could cost him his job and third! I just admire and respect him that´s it! So knock it off, Sam. Besides! You say it! My love life is none of your business.” She while smirking

Sam stick her tongue out at Nikita, before standing up. Nikita smiled and lie down on her bed once more.

“Don´t think you have won! I will know who that he or she is! Anyways, I´m going now. God, I hope they change this horrible schedule!  It´s been a week and I still can´t stand it!”

“Why you have classes at this hour again?” Nikita asked

“The professor teaches in another university during the day. So by the time he gets here is already night. He is not happy with this schedule either, but until the university finds another professor, we are stuck with these hours of hell. By the way, what´s up with the jar of orange juice you put in the mini-fridge?” Sam asked while putting on her lab coat

“Oh! That, Dr. Crane gave it to me. He said it would help me with my anxiety.”

“About time! If you keep chewing your thumb you are going to end up eating your flesh. And what about our little pesky friend?” she asked

“So far I haven´t see them, I like to believe they are finally going to leave me alone.”

“Oh Bun-Bun, honey, you aren´t the only one that is hoping that. Anyways, I have to go now. Hopefully I will come back with a boyfriend! Bye.”

After Sam closed the door behind her, the room was left in total silence. Nikita stare at the roof a little more before finally getting up and going to the mini-fridge. She and Sam had bought it to keep their drinks, and some snacks cold. Sometimes the temperature will reach unholy high numbers, and there was nothing worse than drinking from a warm bottle of water on a hot day.

She grabbed the jar and open it up. The liquid did smell like orange, in fact the smell was way too strong. Nikita realize she didn´t have a spoon, so she grabbed the lid of the jar and pour some of the liquid on it. She took the lid to her lips and drink it. It burned her throat a little, but besides that it actually taste good. Nikita closed the jar and then put it back inside the fridge.

She went back to her bed and lie down under the covers. She then reached for the lamp switch and turn the light off. Then in the darkness she waited until her eyelids felt heavy and she give herself to Morpheus arms.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in her old room. It´s walls were full with holes or cracks. Her bed was in the center of the room because she feared that roaches and rats would climb into her bed if it was near the walls. The room also had a single window that had bars instead of glass. Her clothes were keep inside an old suitcase and instead of a lamp she had a small chunk of candle.

“Bonnie! Bonnie! Come here at once!” a male voice yelled from downstairs

That voice…Before she could think about what she was doing. She obediently get off her bed, and went to the door. Much to her surprise it was unlocked, he never left it unlocked. She was greeted with dark hallways, and a horrible smell of rotten wood and cat´s piss. She was back in that old house…her father´s house.

As soon Nikita walked passed the doorway, she had transform back to her 10 year old self. She was wearing an old green lime dress. Her hair was kept in two messy ponytails and she was barefoot. Her skin was decorated with small cuts and bruises, her lip was broken and her right cheek was particularly swollen.

She slowly went down the stairs and enter the living room. Her father was waiting for her in his old sofa. He was an old man, with short golden hair and amber eyes. He was wearing a simple white shirt and a pair of jeans. His cowboy boots were at the side of the sofa. His legs rested on the old coffee table. He was looking at the old T.V, with a cigar hanging from his lips. He looked disappointed and angry about something.

She stood behind the sofa, and waited until he notice her. When he did, he throw something at her feet. It was a drawing of a cat, it was standing in his back legs, giving the thumbs up while carrying a bag full of wool. It was one of her drawings, he never liked her drawings.

“What´s that?” he spat, venom dripping from his lips

“I saw it in a book that I found in the trash.”

“Bonnie, A cat can´t stand up like humans do. Have you gone mad?”

“I know that!  I just thought it was funny.”

Her father stand up and kneel in front of her. He grabbed her shoulders a little too hard.

“You are starting to disappoint me, Bonnie. And you know very well, you don´t want me disappointed. Why can´t you be more like your sister and brother? You are still watching cartoons at 10, you still can´t read properly! And you draw humanoid cats! Unbelievable. At this age your brother was already reading chemistry books! And your sister! Your sister started to watch war documentaries at 7!”

“But I like cartoons! They are funny! They make me laugh and smile! I like them, I like them so much that I… I want to be a cartoonist when I grow up!” She said proudly

Her father just stare at her before bursting into a cruel and lifeless laughter. This hurt her a lot, her confidence and pride quickly banished. Her father stood up and turned around facing the wall. The wallpaper was missing in certain places and the wood under it had cracks and termite bites. Right in the middle of the wall, three pictures were hanged. The right one was a picture of her brother Tommy, he had big blue eyes and black hair. He looked kind of unhappy. The picture on the left, was her little sister, Thalia. She had amber eyes and golden hair just like her father, she was crying in silence in that picture. And the one in the center was hers. She looked kind of happy, but it was a very shy and forced smile.

From the walls a tar like substance started to pour out. Her father´s laughter finally died out.

“Oh my dear child. You don´t know what you want in life! You are a fool! An incompetent stupid brat who doesn´t know anything. A cartoonist?! Are you mad?! With luck you will draw comics for the local newspaper and after that you will have to prostitute yourself in order to survive.”

Slowly his whole body started to melt into a puddle on the floor, and started to change into that same tar like substance. His voice was distorted and was heard from every direction.

“You are just like your mother, always in a perpetual state of pipe dreaming. Thinking this world is a magical place, full of adventures. No, this world is cruel and without mercy! And it will swallow you whole before you even notice! You should be dreaming of becoming something much greater than a pathetic cartoonist. You have disappoint me, Nikita. You are just a failure, like your brother and sister! I thought this time I did it right! I thought this time you would be the one! I have lost my patience and time with you.”

By the time he finished, he had become a shapeless tar monster. It slowly rise from the ground and turned around facing Nikita.

“You have disappointed me, Nikita. It’s time for you to join your brother and sister.”

Nikita turned around and run for her life. She opened the front door and exit the old house. Outside was pitch-black only the moon´s light was able to give her some light. She kept running, for a moment she looked back. That monster made of tar that was once her father, was still following her. She finally reached the barn and stopped dead in her tracks. Suddenly the barn was way more terrifying than the monster that was following her.

The barn´s doors were closed with chains and a lock that keep them in place. The lock opened by itself and the chains fall down into the ground. As if it was inviting her to come inside. Everything stayed in silence, her mind begged her to stay away from that barn. She was about to turn around and run, when a black claw grabbed one of her ponytails. Nikita screamed and cry, begged her father to let her go, but he wouldn´t listen.

The barn´s doors slowly opened, inside was completely dark, it looked like the mouth of a monster ready to devour her. Her father keep dragging her, getting closer and closer to the door. It was going to swallow her whole, the darkness was going to swallow her! She could feel the darkness grabbing her, engulfing her whole. That tar substance was dragging her into the barn! She couldn´t breathe, she was going to die! She was going to be forgotten! She didn´t want to die!

“DADDY!! I´M SORRY! I´M SORRY! DADDY!!!”

Nikita sit up, drenched in sweat and heavily panting. She hugged herself while trying to swallow the knot in her throat. She haven´t dreamed about her father since she was 12! She had manage to put that memory in the Mariana Trench of her mind, after years of treatment! How? How?!

“Bonnie~”

She slowly looked around, she was shaking like a leaf. There, outside her window, was her father covered in that tar like substance. The only organs visible from his face, was his white lifeless eyes and horrifying grin. He was waving at her in a very slow and creepy way. He laughed like a maniac while screaming.

“What´s wrong, Bonnie?! Now you remember?! You couldn´t recognize your old man, even when he was **3 feet** away from YOU!!”

Nikita screamed with all her might before falling to the ground. She crawled away from her window while crying and begging for her life.

“Nikita! Are you alright? Bun-Bun!”

Sam, jumped from her bed the moment she heard her scream. She saw her getting away from her bed while looking at her window with tears in her eyes. She looked outside, there was nothing out there. She went to her best friend and manage to calm her down by hugging her, and caressing her hair.

“Shhh, shh, Calm down. I´m here. I´m here.”

“He was out there Sam! He was out there! He was there!!” Nikita babbled

“Who?”

“The stalker! The stalker was my father! It was my father!!”

“Shhh, calm down. Calm down.”

Samantha continue to hug Nikita while caressing her hair and she continue to cry on her shoulder. She ignore the angry calls outside their door, and both hers and Nikita´s cellphones going mad over the wave of messages that was arriving. She really tried not to think about it, but she was worried. She was now very worried of how sane her friend truly was. Maybe it was just the aftershock of her nightmare. And she really hoped so, because there was no way Nikita´s father could be outside or even be the now doubtful stalker…That man drowned in a tank full of molasses 15 years ago…and…their room was on the fifth floor.


	4. Chapter 4

~ Two months later~

Both Sam and Nikita were sleeping in their beds. Sam had her hair all over her face while a thin string of saliva, slowly made its way across her chin. Nikita was in a similar state, she was hugging a pillow, half of her body was hanging from the bed, and the bed sheets barely covered her.

Bags of chips, peanuts and chocolates were scattered all over the floor. Along with two bottles of soda, its contents were slowly dripping into the wooden floor, creating a puddle that grew over night. In the center of all the mess lay several plastic cups and plates with forks, each one had cake crumbs along with some luster. One in especial had a candle with the shape of a 26 resting on top of the fork. There were several balloons and streamers of different colors pasted all over the walls and roof. One of the balloon´s tape gave up and it fall to the ground.

There was a little mountain of gifts right in front of Nikita´s bed. On top of it lay a bouquet of flowers along with several birthday cards.

Somewhere in that mess, their cellphones’ clocks marked 7am and their alarms went off. Both cellphones played “Spooky Scary Skeletons”. Slowly, both women wake up, they blinked a couple of times before quickly sitting up and screaming in synchrony;

“Halloween!!”

They looked at each other and smiled. Halloween had always been their favorite American holiday. The whole concept was fun! Spooky things, dressing up to go out and ask for candy, and the endless marathons of cheesy and actually good scary movies streaming in all the channels during the holiday.

They always had a blast! And while they were too old to go trick and treating, they could always buy their own candy without having to dress up first. But the best thing was the Halloween Festival the university organized every year.

When the song finally ended, they finally acknowledge the mess in their room. What a party! And now they had to clean the mess, great!

“Man, we went nuts last night. And we were only 7 people, talking shit all night long.” Nikita said surprised looking at the amount of trash scattered on the floor

“Well! It was your birthday, Bun-bun! I still can´t believe you finally let us do a birthday party for you.” Sam said while looking for the garbage bags she bought yesterday along with the snacks and cake.

“I told you, Sam. This is my last year, I better make it the best year. It was fun, actually. But I rather have a more personal parties next time.”

“Lame! Speaking of parties! In the end, are you coming with us?”

“To the Halloween Festival? Sam, I told you like weeks ago! I´m part of the festival, remember? The guys of Psychology and I decided to do a makeshift haunted house in classroom 20-A. I will be one of the ghosts.”

“Cool and the best part!” She came closer and grabbed Nikita´s long hair “You have the hair to do it!”

“Haha, very funny! But yeah, originally I wasn´t going to be part of it. But everyone insisted. I´m telling ya! I will cut my hair if everyone continues with those bad jokes.” Nikita said while grabbing a trash bag and started to pick up the trash too.

“Wait! Classroom 20-A? Knowing Professor Crane he should have let you guys, do it in his classroom.”

“Yeah about that… He kind of took it as an insult, because he thought we were mocking him, so he tell us to do it somewhere else.”

“Oh. Curious thing, specially coming from someone who claims to be the master of fear.”

Both continue to clean their room while talking of trivial things. Sometimes Sam would stare at her friend, before snapping from her trance and going back to work. But after a while, she would do it again.

After that nightmare she had two months ago. Nikita started to lose weight very quickly, she would lose her appetite for days and if it wasn´t for her, she wouldn´t had eaten at all. But still, her efforts to keep her roommate healthy were a failure. Nikita´s ribcage and hipbones could almost be seen under her skin. She had big, dark circles under her eyes and the nails of her thumbs were almost nonexistent, and also were decorated with several scars and fresh wounds.

She could barely sleep thanks to her nightmares. With luck she would sleep for a few hours at night. Sometimes she was so tired that during her free time or food breaks, she would take a nap instead of doing anything else. Her grades suffered a little, she was no longer in the Top 20 list. Nikita desperately tried to recover her spot, but she was so tired both emotional and physically that she gave up two weeks ago.

In Sam´s opinion her condition had worsen ever since she got that so called medicine from Dr. Crane. But she didn´t have enough evidence to prove it. Not to mention that after Nikita finished that jar, he didn´t gave her anything else. She honestly never liked that guy in the first place. But Nikita admire the man, so she had to stay quiet and keep it to herself.

But...Despite her nightmares and anxiety affecting her badly, she was still the same sarcastic and loyal, Nikita. But Sam, their group of friends and even Nikita´s mother agreed on something. She was keeping something to herself, something that was destroying her from the inside.

Sam, put down an empty bag of chips, got closer to Nikita and hugged her from behind. She hid her face on Nikita´s hair and started to cry.

“Amm…Sam. Are you okay? Sammy?” Nikita asked confused “Listen I love you too. I will go to the festival with you after a few rounds in the haunted house! I will buy you that purse you saw in the mall! Sam please talk to me!! What´s wrong?”

Sam keep hugging Nikita while crying and babbling over and over; “I´m here, whatever you need, I´m always here!” Nikita smiled sweetly while trying to hug Sam.

_“I´m sorry, Sam.” Nikita thought “I saw you that night. You thought I was crazy. I don´t even know if am I truly bonkers or not…but. I just can´t tell you. I can´t lose you. I can´t lose anyone else…Don´t worry. I will be alright…I hope so.”_

Nikita looked at her window. Her father was still there, smiling and waving at her. Telling her over and over to come and join him at the tank.

~Meanwhile in Dr. Crane´s office~

He was standing right next to his office´s window. Reading a journal, sometimes he would take a break and look at the courtyard.

On his desk, he had several other diaries, journals and even a personal agenda. All of them scattered on the desk´s surface along with some printed articles of newspapers, portfolios and even some medical books. Most of the diaries, journals and even the personal agenda belong to his best student; Nikita Bell. He still couldn´t believe it! He found a gold mine!

He loved to struck fear on everyone, it was no secret. The first time he saw her in his class, she looked like a scared puppy. He thought, she was going to be the first one to get out screaming. But, much to his surprise she became his best student! Hell! By the third month she became one of the top students in the whole university.

She was and still is a dedicated, curious and fearless student. And this last thing, bother him a lot. Especially after an exercise he made that same semester during her freshman year. It consisted of 5 vases made of clay, he warned his students that one vase had a snake inside. This last thing was a lie, sadly the package with that snake was delayed and wasn´t coming until the end of that week. But this made the whole experiment more thrilling…for him. They didn´t know that last detail and it was perfect to prove his point.

Of course, nobody wanted to volunteer to do the experiment. He was about to call names when he heard her voice; “I will do it”. She came closer to the vases and waited for instructions. He was surprised and curious. He then explained that she would have to choose 4 of the 5 vases, stick her hand inside and look for the snake. If she didn´t found it after the fourth time, then the experiment was over.

Each time she stick her hand in one of the clay vases, everyone in the classroom would hold their breath or look away. He looked her in the eyes each time she did it. Much to his surprise he couldn´t find a hint of fear in those amber eyes. In fact, she looked thrilled, as if the sole thought of finding the snake excited her. And when the experiment was over, he saw disappointment when he announced there was no snake in the first place.

At first he let it pass and try with more frightening exercises. But every time, without a doubt, she would offer herself to be the guinea pig. Always with a smile and curiosity in her eyes, excited of what was going to happen next.

Everyone was afraid of something, even him! What she was afraid of? He tried asking, but she would change the topic of the conversation each time he came close to know the truth. Curiosity was killing him, he needed to know! Maybe this could help him with his investigation? How much of his toxin would take to drive someone into pure terror, even madness? So for the first 3 years he try the batch #1 on her. He was able to sneak the toxin in her bottles of water and cups of coffee. Once he got a little risky and changed it for her perfume.

The results were incredible!

Not only was she on a constant state of alert and anxiety. Apparently she started to hallucinate that someone dressed with black clothes started to follow her. Who was this person? Why this person wears black clothes? Why a person in black clothes scared her? Melanophobia? No, she loved the color black. Scopophobia? No, she was afraid of the person itself not of what he or she was doing.

He knew this last thing thanks to her diary. Taking advantage of her fear, he manage to enter into her room when nobody was watching, with a copy of the key. He went in there more than once, until he collected every single piece of paper where she written down her thoughts. And in the process injected doses of the batch #2 in her bottles of water and even sprayed it on her clothes.

Getting those diaries and journals were the gold mine he was talking about earlier. Gold mine that until this date, he continue to visit.

Not only had he discovered that apparently his student was a naughty little girl. For two years she dated another one of his students, in secret.  He remembered Lily, she was afraid of people judging her for being who she was, so she cut ties with her girlfriend and drop out of college. Who would have thought that Nikita was her girlfriend? But was it really, really necessary to write down about all their sexual encounters?

But that was nothing compared to the name; Otto Bell. After a quick research he discovered a very tragic but interesting story.

The name Otto Bell was popular back on Canada. He was all over the news, 15 years ago. Reports say he was the pure definition of white trash, combined with a superiority complex and homicidal tendencies. He was a living time bomb, and when it first went off. His wife payed the price. He bury her alive, the woman didn´t die until three days later. He then escaped the country with his 2 two daughters and one son. He manage to stay under the radar by working in a Molasses Farm, and having a humble but poor life.

According to reports of the Canadian police; he truly believed he was part of a superior race, and wanted his children to be the same. So he denied them a childhood, thinking that would make them grow up faster. He home schooled the three children and he teach them things, children shouldn´t know at that age. And each time they behave like normal children, he would punish them in brutal ways, and always threaten them to not disappoint him or there would be horrible consequences.

Two years before the Canadian police discovered his crimes, Tommy the oldest son did something (until this date nobody knows what) and Otto killed him in a fit of rage. He then hide him in the barn. Inside a tank where he kept the molasses. A year later, it was Thalia´s turn, the poor thing only wanted to go to the circus. And finally it was Nikita´s turn, the moment she said she wanted to be a cartoonist when she grow up, made her father go mental. He try to drown her in that tank but she kept fighting and fighting until he tumbled inside and drowned. Signs suggested he tried pulling his daughter with him but she manage to escape.

The neighbors called the police upon hearing the blood curling screams of Nikita. And they found her in a corner of her old room, covered from head to toe in molasses, which had a particular bad smell of rotten meat and copper. She was repeating over and over again of how she didn´t want the darkness to swallow her.

The story ends in a happier note. After years of treatment, and rehabilitation, she was adopted by a kind and sweet single woman named; Sylvia Smith, who finished to pull out Nikita from that hole called past and close it for good. And the rest was history…Boring.

After he discovered that crucial information, he was even more excited to prove his hypothesis. Was the stalker of her hallucinations actually her father after he drowned in molasses? It made sense! A father, someone, who is supposed to love and take care of you, was the responsible of your mother, brother and sister´s deaths and he even try to kill you! Fear of death!? Possible but not quite. He needed to know more.

The toxin from batch #3 is clearly affecting her, he had been watching her.

He theorizes that maybe nightmares are keeping her awake at night. Her poor nutrition and loss of weight? Probably she hallucinates that the food is that same molasses stored in that tank, where her father hide the corpses of her brother and sister. The reports did say, they manage to take out the corpses of both Tommy and Thalia.

Sometimes during class, he used the same words Otto used during her childhood, to see her reactions. But sometimes, without provocation, she would hold up her breath or close her eyes, even mutter things under her breath while trembling. And each time something like that happened, she would always bite her thumb until it started to bleed. She also got very violent when she was exposed to the prototype of the batch #4, before Summer Break. Clawing herself as if she was trying to rip something off her skin. She was also trying to fight something off her too.

Nikita was clearly suffering from hallucinations, he knew the symptoms way to well. But what she was seeing?! Did the toxin manage to make the memory of her father reemerge from the pits of her mind? Did the stalker morphed into her father? Was the hallucinations of her father getting more violent? Was it talking to her? What are you seeing, Nikita?!

Dr. Crane look up from the journal… Speaking of the queen of Rome, she was in the courtyard, walking to this way. He guessed she was coming to help her classmates with that haunted house for the Halloween Festival.

She was thinner and looked even more tired. He felt something in his cold heart. Pity and Empathy. He thought he had killed those feelings a long time ago. Yet he felt them for her. In the end they weren´t that different. Abusive and unhappy childhood. Neglectful or absent parents. Traumatic experiences. Impressive academic skills and if she kept losing weight, soon they would look more alike. She did looked miserable, he should lower the doses…No!

Dr. Crane threw the journal and it hit the wall. What was he thinking?! This was his chance! He almost got fired for experimenting on his students. During his classes she didn´t have a problem with volunteering to be his Guinea pig! Why stop now?! Why give up such opportunity!? Why have mercy?! There was no stopping now! Next time he would give her a dose that would drive 10 men insane! He needed to see it! He needed to see fear in those amber eyes! He-

*Knock, Knock*

Dr. Crane looked at the door angrily, he made his way to it and opened it. He was about to say something, but the words never left his throat. It was Nikita, she was smiling sweetly and had a bouquet of flowers in her arms. The little note that was attached to it, had something written on it; “For my best student. From Dr. Jonathan Crane. Happy Birthday, dear.”

“Professor. I´m sorry if I´m interrupting but I wanted to thank you for the flowers.”

“…I´m glad you like them. Consider it as an apology. I didn´t wish you a happy birthday yesterday.”

“It’s alright. It wasn´t necessary but still. Thank You. I will be going now. I will look for a vase to put these. I know you said you didn´t like the haunted house. But I still invite you to check it out.”

“…We will see…”

“Thank you!” her eyes sparkled with joy “I hope to see you! And maybe I will give you a little fright. Bye!”

She turn around and leave, he stayed there for a couple of seconds before closing the door.

Oh yes. The flowers. He forgot. Yesterday, everyone keep saying that it was her birthday. So he figured he had to give her something or at least wish her a happy birthday. But he forgot, and didn´t remembered until the last class of the day was over.

At first he wasn´t going to do something about it, but before he realize what he was doing. He went to the city and bought her a bouquet of flowers, he made sure all of them were recently cut. By the time he was back, it was already night. He went to her dorm hoping that nobody spot him. It would be a very awkward and strange situation to explain.

Once in front of her door, he was doubting if he should leave the bouquet on the floor or knock and wake her up. But before he could decide, he notice the door was open. He entered and found the mess of the after party.

_“You may be my best student, Miss Bell. But you are certainly everything but organized.” He had thought_

He saw the pile of gifts right in front of her bed and decided to leave the bouquet on top. He was about to leave when he looked at her. Her bed sheets were on the floor, and she was shivering from the cold. Once more his body acted by its own and carefully, without making a noise, made his way through the mess, he picked up the sheets and then cover her with them. He stayed there looking at her face. She looked so peaceful, and somewhat happy. No fear was reflected in her features. And somehow, for only one moment, he didn´t mind.

Slowly his fingers caressed cheeks, he put a few strands of hair away from her face. She lean to his touch. He stopped and kneel in front of her, was she awake? No, no she wasn´t…

He still didn´t understand why he did it, maybe he did it by pure curiosity. But before he exited that dorm, he touched her cheek one last time, enjoying the warmth under his palm and her smile under the moonlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I must say... Scarecrow is very...complex (lack of better words) You can´t write about him on certain situations without sacrificing part of his original personality. So I´m really having a hard time writing this. 
> 
> There will be a happy ending, kind of. But I won´t go to the extreme where he is so all lovely and sweet or to the other extreme where he is a heartless monster. But I need to find that balance...And its hard. I like the idea of a double personality of him and scarecrow but ehhh not quite. I want to practice and develop other ideas...  
> 


	5. Chapter 5

The day passed in the blink of an eye. It was already night and the whole campus was filled with both students and passers-by that were invited inside to enjoy the festival. Balloons, streamers, decorations of cats, witches, skeletons, spiders and ghosts decorated each inch of the installations along with jack-o-lanterns laying around on both paths and hallways.

There were several stands distributed around the main courtyard. These offered different activities, food and even raffles. However the star of the festival was the haunted house in the Psychology building. The students were actually surprised and happy to know that after days of hard work, it was worth it in the end.

Dr. Crane couldn’t believe what he was seeing either. Each time a group of maximum 5 people entered classroom 20-A, they would come out screaming 3 minutes later. With each group going in and out, he regretted even more not making a new batch and switch it with the liquid that was being used by the fog machine on the entrance of the classroom (“It is for creating an atmosphere”, one of his students had told him earlier).

“It’s going to be a total failure, I said.” He mutter to himself “It´s going to be garbage, I said. I guess I underestimated the pond scum I have for students. Well then! Let´s see what this is all about.”

He came closer to the entrance where Harleen (one of the few students he recognize was above pond scum) was warning the people in the line that they would have a break soon. She was wearing, much to his amusement, a harlequin costume. Her original job was to recollected the entry tickets and encourage passersby to enter the haunted house, but after seeing the endless line she thought it was no longer necessary. When she saw he was coming closer, she greeted him with a big smile on her face.

“Hi, Professor Crane! How are you tonight?” she said while waving a hand at him.

“I´m fine, dear.”

“Do you want to give it a try?” She asked while pointing to the entrance

“…Yes, why not. Let´s see if you have finally learned something.”

Harleen smiled then came closer to the entrance of the classroom that was covered with a black curtain and yelled to the top of her lungs; “Professor Crane is coming!” She then get out of the way while holding the curtain so he could come in. Some people in the line started to complain a little, Crane ignore them and enter the haunted house.

~*~

Well…he had to give them some credit for redecorating the whole classroom in such way it actually look and felt bigger. Black curtains hung from the ceiling acting as hallways that connected the rooms together. They did a nice job, but that was it! The rest was garbage.

The first “room” was a fancy dining room. Lights with red and yellow bulbs illuminated the table and the main event happening on it. Three “vampires” were sitting around the table, drinking from goblets and talking about random things. When he walked passed them, they just stare at him. Then from the table someone covered with fake blood and organs sit up and screamed. He remember saying something along the lines of; “I thought vampires suck the blood out of their victims, not eat them with everything and organs.”

His students sign defeated or annoyed. One of them even said to the others; “Told you he would notice.”

The next room was even more boring. It looked like a normal hallway but this time it had wood planks instead of curtains. Some were even missing. He could already predict what was going to happen and before he entered he said; “Someone ruins my suit and they will pay for it.” Multiple voices coming from behind the wooden planks started to say different things from boring to party pooper.

Room three, was an improvement, kind of. It was completely dark, a light on the ground would turn on illuminating the way only for a few seconds before turning off.  It was clear that something was going to jump in between the light turning on and off.

He did not expect, however, that when he was in the middle of the room, the light didn´t turn back on. He was about to continue when he heard a voice right behind him say; “I´m hungry.” Then the light turn back on.

He didn´t looked back and instead continue. When he reached the end, he turned around with a big smile on his face. Someone in a butcher costume, with a pig mask on their head and a butcher knife in their hands, just stood there. They took their mask off and said; “You were supposed to looked behind, Crane! You are the fourth person that doesn´t get it.”

Now he was in the last room, and he was beyond disappointed. This was supposed to be the reason why many people would get out there screaming. And what was it? Hanged people. Yes, people that hung from nooses. He even saw a plastic skeleton somewhere. Needless to say, those “people” where actually human size rag dolls that thanks to the poor light that detail could not be fully appreciated.

He was about to exit the room, when he saw in the corner of his eye; one of the rag dolls started to swing back and forward very slowly, as it just recently hanged himself. He came closer and look at it, hoping to find one of his students, it was just another rag doll.

“In the end, this was indeed garbage.” He mutter once more

Then from behind him he heard a loud and high pitched scream. He brusquely turn around. One of the dolls was actually a real person. She was wearing a long white nightgown, her long dark hair covered completely her face. She started to scream louder while extending a hand at his direction, as if she was asking for help. She looked at him and stopped screaming before bursting into laughter. That voice…

“Nikita?!” he asked in disbelief, she never told him about participating in the haunted house.

“Hi, Professor Crane. Did I scare you?” She said while pushing her hair to the sides to see him better.

“Startled, dear. You just startle me.” He said

“Yeah, right. Nice to see that in the end you decide to come. I did give you a fright.” She said while giggling a little.

“…How in the world you aren´t choking yourself to death right now?” he asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

“Oh, that! One of the guys from maintenance, lend me one of the harnesses they use for cleaning the windows on the tallest buildings, so I´m actually hanging from it and not the noose.”

“…Well then, have fun hanging in there. And just for the record, dear. You did not scare me.”

“Oh! C´mon! I did! I know I did! Plus you owe it to me for all the times you have scared me!”

“Happy Halloween, Miss Bell.” He said before finally exiting the haunted house

“IT´S NIKITA!” she yelled

~*~

He didn´t thought it was funny. If anything it just annoyed him. His best student acting so childish! Unbelievable! And he thought he had teach her better!

Dr. Crane was back in his office, preparing a new batch. This one would be the prototype #5, it would make his old batches look like child’s play in comparison. And the lucky one to try it first was going to be Nikita.

“No one makes fun of me, dear. Nobody! You should know better, after what happened to Mr. Smith.”

That stupid pig thought he could get away with his tantrums over and over again. That little drawing he made on that quiz at the beginning of the semester was the final straw. A scarecrow? Really?! Just what he needed! Unpleasant memories came back to his mind. He didn´t need to remember that! Even know it still haunts him…He would emend that soon…

When he confronted that man-child about the drawing, he just denied it. Crane didn´t know what was more stupid; the fact that he did it and then deny it or the sole idea that he could ever fool him with such pathetic excuse.

After that, he made it crystal clear that if he ever annoyed him again, he was going to pay the consequences. Richard just laugh at his face and challenge him after that. It was like dealing with a child! And he was not wasting a single second more on him.

The next day, he manage to sneak a concentrated dose of the batch#2 in his milkshake during lunch break.  Richard became incredibly violent, so much he hurt a student that tried to help him. He was banned from the campus for a whole year and he couldn´t come back until he had received anger management classes. No one suspected about him and mainly thanks to how infamous Richard´s reputation was. Until this date he was curious of what that pig saw…

Now his most prized student was going to become his guinea pig once more. He didn´t need to worry about people suspecting of him. He had heard things around the campus…half of the staff believes she has become a crazy and paranoid woman, after the whole stalker thing. He was save on this one too.

Dr. Crane finally finished. He store most of the new batch in a can and then put it aside. He went back to his desk and grabbed a new syringe. He tore the packet open and took off the lid with his teeth. He then filled the syringe with a concentrated dose he had prepared apart. He looked at the syringe and tap it a few times before putting back on the lid. He was ready…

But then…he just stood there, staring at nothing in particular. He just couldn’t leave his office. He wasn´t nervous or scared! Then why? Something was stopping him from going to Nikita´s room and inject her with that dose. Some part of him didn´t want to see her terrified and scared. Some part of him begged him to honestly and truthfully start helping her.

That something was his 14 year-old self. He was begging his older self to remember what others did to him, of how scared he was, of how he couldn´t trust anyone, and of how alone he was. That dose could reduce his student to a pathetic, cowardly and paranoid former shell of herself. Her personality lost forever in the pits of her mind along with her sanity. Probably she would rot in an Asylum for the rest of her days. Alone with her fears and thoughts.

She hadn´t done anything wrong! If anything it was his fault! He enter into a haunted house where she was acting as a ghost. She didn´t mock or made fun of him. She was just doing her part! Not to mention after years of scaring her constantly, sooner or later she would have her chance and pay him back.

Besides he promised to use his knowledge for good. For humanity! Never to intimidate or for power.

“This is different.” He mutter, trying to convince himself “I´m still fulfilling my promise…I just need more live subjects, I need more experiments, and I need more knowledge.”

_“But does she deserves such fate? That dose will reduce her to mental mess! A career and reputation ruined by the person she admire and trusted the most.” That little voice reply_

“She should have known better before thrusting me!” he reply back angry.

_“She trusted you for your tests, she trusted you and told you her fears and worries, and she trusted you to take care of her. After all this time, even after what happened with her father. She trusted a male figure to guide and help her. You have seen it in her eyes! You aren´t just a simple professor.”_

“So what? Should I leave my research for someone with daddy issues?”

_“…”_

“I thought so.”

He put the syringe in one of his pockets and went to the door. His hand caressed the door knob, but he didn´t open it. Instead he went back to his table and started to create an antidote.

_“You DO care…”_

“The last thing I need is her dying of an overdose…nothing more.”


	6. Chapter 6

It was 1am. The university had finally closed its doors and therefore ending the festival. Hopefully this year they manage to reach the goal of collecting $1000. Last year they almost reached the goal, they were $50 dollars away! Maybe during the week the staff would announce the results.

“Finally! It´s over…I can´t feel my legs…”

Nikita was slowly making her way up the stairs, stopping every few seconds. She could barely feel her legs and her whole body was numb. Getting her out of that harness was painful and overall an odyssey. At least 3 students had to her help to get down and once on the floor, Harleen had to help her stretch her body. She and the rest of the students keep apologizing over and over again and saying that maybe this wasn´t the best idea. Nikita just smiled and told them it was alright, that none of them made her hang herself for almost 6 hours.

She finally reached her floor, and it was completely quiet. She guessed most of her neighbors were out enjoying the night or they were sleeping.

Nikita checked her cellphone, 13 unread messages. Most of them belonged to her friends and only one belonged to Sam. She had send it two hours ago. Apparently she and the others couldn´t wait for her any longer and went to a party downtown. Sam apologized for not waiting for her, but it was clear she wasn´t getting out of that house any time soon. Nikita was thankful they didn´t wait for her. She could barely walk, let alone dance.

Nikita opened her room´s door and once inside she close it. She let out a big and dramatic sigh. The relief of being back at her room was incredible. A warm shower was a must and then she could go to sleep.

Her hand barely caressed the doorknob when suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her from behind. It happened so quickly she could barely react. Then she felt a horrible pain on her neck. Nikita try to scream but she couldn´t find her voice, and instead let out a pathetic whimper. The pair of arms let her go and she fell on the ground. Her whole body felt even number than before. The pain on her neck slowly made its way through her veins. And then…nothing. The pain was gone and she no longer felt tired or even numb. What happened…What was going on?

Something touched her ankle. Nikita´s breathing became irregular and that need to look behind her shoulder was back. She slowly turned around… Her father covered in that tar like substance was kneeling next to her, grabbing her ankle. She yelped and try to back away. He laughed at her attempts and pull her closer to his body. The substance came to life and slowly began to engulf her.

“What´s wrong, Bonnie? Aren´t you glad to see your papa?” his voice sounded distorted and came from every direction but his mouth “Smile, I´m taking you with me.”

“No! NO! You are dead! You are dead!!” she screamed while trying to rip off that substance from her body

“I´m right here Bonnie! Feel it! Your old man is here!!” he said while the substance began to crawl up her body faster.

“Leave me alone!! Leave me alone!” she whimpered

“Now, now, don´t cry you are coming with me. I must say I´m no longer disappointed! You followed my advice…Unlike your brother and sister you have become a beautiful and successful young lady.” He said while caressing her cheek

“Don´t touch me!! You bastard! You evil creep!! You ruined my life! Even now I wasn´t able to choose the career I wanted! Even now your words still haunts me. I just wanted to forget and live my life! Why can´t you just leave me alone!?! I have been a good girl, I didn´t disappointed you, now leave me alone!!!”

“Why? Why I can´t leave you? YOU ARE MY DAUGHTER I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU. I have always been part of you, Nikita! And one day you will become like me!”

“I will rather die before being like you!”

“As you wish you can drown and disappear like your brother and sister!”

Nikita could hear the screams of her brother and sister coming from somewhere, but didn´t know where… She looked up and saw their rotten corpses coming out from her father´s body and reaching out for her. Most of the skin and meat had melted off and now hung from their little dirty bones. His father started to laugh madly while she screamed with all her might.

~*~

Dr. Crane watched from his spot how his student tremble, cry and scream. Her fears were slowly taking over both her body and mind. She was clawing herself, leaving angry red scratches behind. He was right then, she did see her father covered in molasses. She was afraid of becoming like him, she was afraid of him controlling her life even after he left this world. She was afraid of going back to her farm and be swallowed by the darkness.

Her fear was just as sweet as he imagined, and he just couldn´t take his eyes from her…Yet once more that part of him begged him to stop the experiment. Feelings of regret and empathy started to cloud his mind…No! The experiment had just started! He couldn’t stop now!

~*~

Nikita continue to cry and beg for them to leave her alone. But they would only laugh and scream in return. They made it very clear, they weren´t going anywhere, until she agreed to come with them back to the farm. So the darkness could swallow her and at last they will all become one.

Suddenly they started to scream, their voices could be heard through all the room. And they were getting louder and louder! The room started to violently shake, things were falling to the ground and the windows exploded. Nikita could feel that her head was going to explode in any second now. She grabbed her hair and started to tear off strands of it while trying to desperately cover her ears. She was going insane, she no longer knew what was real or not. She just wanted them to stop.

At this point her whole family had morphed into one horrible creature. Each time it speak, that substance would fell on her face. The smell was unbearable and she could barely breathe.

“If you aren´t coming with us! Then we will take anyone you love! Your mother, Sam and even that Professor of yours! Until you have no choice to come with us! You will lose everything!”

“NO!! Leave them out of this! Leave mother alone! Leave Sam alone! And leave Professor Crane out of this! You only want me! Only me! Leave them alone!!” she sit up and bend forward while grabbing her head.

~*~

He just stare at her. Did she? No, no, no. She didn´t! He had suspected about it but he never really pay attention to it. After what happened with Sherry…He was probably just misunderstanding the whole thing! Maybe Nikita cared for him but not that much, maybe she saw him as a friend, a mentor! Hell even a father, but never-!

“Please…” she whimpered “Leave them out of this! They haven´t done anything. Please leave them alone!”

His mind was giving up to her cries. He tried to control himself. He had just started! He couldn´t stop the experiment now! All that new data, lost for one little girl that haven´t truly done…anything to deserve…No! He needed this! HE NEEDED TO CONTINUE!

“Mother has raised me and cared for me. Sam has been like a sister to me! And Professor Crane…Professor Crane has been more of a man than you will ever be! He looks after me! He worries about me…And you! You only saw me as your daughter only when I did something you considered right! I was nothing more than a toy for your entertainment! You never loved me!”

Memories of his grandmother and bullies slowly crawl up from the deepest pit of his mind. As a reminder they weren´t that different, he knew that pain way too well. He quickly put those memories aside and try to concentrate. But with each one of her cries it was becoming more and more complicated…

He never really wanted to admit he had grown fond of her. She had proven to be a dedicated, intelligent and loyal student. Always attentive and curious in his classes. Excited and thrilled to learn more. So far, his other best students had never shown such dedication for so long. And now, she was defending him from a hallucination of her father. Saying positive things about him. He knew she admire him but he never knew how much he meant to her…He didn´t want to see her in pain any longer.

Dr. Crane slowly took out the antidote from his pocket and came closer to her. But in that moment Nikita stood up, her eyes were dilated and wet from her tears. She came closer to her nightstand and took out a pair of scissors. And slowly took them to her neck…

Experiment is over. Crane came closer and took the scissors from her hands with a little struggle. Then he practically stab her on the neck with the syringe. She screamed from the pain, but her voice slowly died out. Her legs gave up and he manage to catch her, before slowly lowering himself to the ground with Nikita in his arms.

He just stayed there, sitting on the ground with his student in his arms. With his free hand he touched her forehead, her temperature had risen. He then touched her neck, her pulse was slowly going back to normal but he could bet that it had reached high numbers. Her breathing was also slowly going back to normal.

He should be thrilled and excited but instead…he felt relief that his experiment was over and over all a great feeling of regret…and he still couldn't´t fully understand why.

“Were all those years really that painful?” he whispered “Did you cry yourself to sleep each night, afraid of what tomorrow could bring to you? I did that too…”

He felt how slowly she started to move. Nikita slowly opened her eyes, and blink a couple of times. She stare at him for a while before sitting up and hugging him. He awkwardly put his arms around her back and neck in a poor attempt to hug her. He was honestly very uncomfortable with this. Affection and emotions like these, were something very alien to him, it wasn´t that he didn´t appreciate them but…rather he hadn´t received any affection in his life to tell if it was something he found pleasant or not.

Nikita started to cry and sob on his shoulder while whispering over and over again; “Thank you for waking me up.” He wasn´t 100% sure of how much she remember or if she could differentiate reality from illusion when asked about what happened, but for now…he just stayed there and try to comfort her by caressing her hair.

Nikita didn´t know why or how he was there. But she was happy that he was the first thing she saw after that horrible nightmare…? Hallucination? She didn´t even know what was that! Was she…was she really losing her mind? Was the stalker a product of her head? Was everything just a false dream and she would wake up back in that house? She didn´t want to lose her mind! She didn´t want to be like-

“Professor?” she whispered

“Yes?”

“Am I…Am I really going insane?” she sit up and look at him “Am I really losing my mind? I don´t want to see them anymore! I don´t want them to control my life... I no longer know what to believe. I no longer know…I don´t-”

Tears run down her cheeks once more. He could see fear in her eyes but it was overshadowed by sadness and pain. He slowly lift his hand and clean away her tears.

“You are not going insane. I can assure you that. I can´t guarantee they will go away. They never actually do. But if you confront them one last time, maybe they will leave you alone. It’s hard I know, but you forget something…You were never alone in the first place. I have seen you these lasts months…always trying to deal with your problems alone. Come to me if you ever need a second pair of ears to listen to you. My door is always open, Nikita.”

Her eyes were once more filled with joy, the moment her name left his lips. And by pure impulse and without thinking about it. She just close the space between them and kiss him. He was about to push her away, but the taste of her lips and how soft they were prevented him from pushing her away and instead just stay still and enjoy the moment.

Nikita broke the kiss and almost immediately hid her face on his neck, probably realizing what she just did. He could feel how warm her cheeks were and how her heart started to beat faster. He did meant something for her…

He waited until she fell asleep so he could move. Slowly but steady he pick her up and lie her down on her bed. And just like last night, he covered her with the bed sheets. He caressed her cheek once more before he left the room. He had a lot to think and analyze, but there was something he knew for sure…

He was never experimenting on her ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, before any of you starts screaming; WHERE IS MY SMUT?!  
> Calm down. The next chapter, okay! And that by the way is going to be a challenge...  
> At first I wanted Jonathan/Scarecrow to be this pervy professor and everything. But then I realize I didn´t like it. It was so out of character. Let me remind you, that he has never known or received any type of affection/love in his life therefore by suddenly becoming a sex machine out of nowhere just because the plot requires it...ehhh.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everybody!  
> Hope you can acomplish all your goals and dreams!  
> And hopefully...I will have more free time this year to continue writing T-T. But as for now! Let's make sure to do our best this year!

Dr. Crane was back in his office after a hard day of work. He sat on his chair, while taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. He was tired, but he couldn’t go to rest just now.

He opened the drawer of his desk and took out several papers. He needed to review all of them. Patients profiles, medical prescriptions and several other things. He still couldn’t believe how easy it was to convince them to hire him…well almost. They were testing him, seeing if he was fit for the job. So far he manage to give them a good impression, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

He took out the last page and stopped at the sight of Nikita’s diaries and journals. It has been three weeks since that night…

Nikita had gone back to her old student life, her health was back to normal and her grades had gotten better. And just in time for the finals, he could see her efforts and determination to close her last year with a golden ribbon. But he could also see a change he didn’t like. Her relationship with him. She was trying to do her best to evade him or talk to him as little as possible or only when it was only necessary. And this was begging to annoy him, she was an adult but right now she was behaving like a child. If she had a problem with him, why not talk with him? It wasn’t like he was some kind of stranger.

He heard a knock on his door. He quickly closed the drawer and put aside the asylum papers.

“Come in.” he said annoyed “I hope it’s important.”

The door slowly opened and on the other side was Nikita. She was holding a couple of papers on her hands and she was trying her best to evade his gaze. She enter the office and close the door behind her.

“Sorry for interrupting you, me and Harleen finished the last project earlier, so we wanted to see if we could give it to you.”

“Yes, there is no problem.” He said while extending his hand

Nikita came closer and gave him the papers, and as soon he grabbed then, she turned around ready to leave. In fact Crane almost smiled, for a moment it looked like she was ready to run for her life. Did she finally succumb to his influence and was afraid of him just like her classmates? …No, that wasn’t it. And he wasn’t letting her go that easy.

“Wait a second, Miss Bell.” He said loud and clear

Nikita slowly turned around and came back to her spot in front of his desk. Jonathan waited for a few seconds while drumming his fingers against the cheap old wood. Then he finally sigh and stood up.

“Speak up, if there is a problem you can tell me.”

“I-”

“Before you even say that you don’t know what I’m talking about.” He interrupt her while coming closer to her “Let me remind you who are you talking to. I’m the person who promised to hear you without judging you. Drop the formalities Nikita. What’s going on?”

She looked at him surprised, he could bet she didn’t expect to hear that coming from him. He honestly was surprised himself, for a moment he tried to convince himself that such kindness was fake and he only wanted to know what was going on.

“…I’m just trying to go back to normal that’s all.” She said while lowering her gaze

“Care to explain why that includes treating me like a complete stranger?”

“..I thought you wanted that.” She said while trying to get away

Crane quickly grabbed her arm and made her look up by grabbing her chin. Even when she had no choice she was still trying to look everywhere but his eyes. Not to mention that pale pink started to crawl to her cheeks.

“I…just. I- It’s hard to explain. I just thought that since you didn’t say anything. Maybe you just wanted to forget that it ever happened.”

“It?” he asked

“…The kiss.”

He let her go. The thought of her being ridiculous and childish came to his mind. All that over a kiss? He slowly turned around while shaking his head, like if he was scolding her.

“I assume it was just a impulsive action. A instinct even. I don’t actually believe you did it on purpose if that is bothering you, then I forgi-”

“That’s the problem.” She interrupt him this time. “For a brief second I thought about it. I wanted to.”

After those words left her lips, both just stayed on their places without saying anything. The silence almost became unbearable. Nikita for a moment thought about leaving the office but she managed to summon the courage to continue.

“It’s been 7 years now, Dr. Crane. You said it yourself we are no strangers. And I guess I couldn’t help myself, you have been there in my best and lately my worst. You didn’t judge me, you didn’t call me crazy, you didn’t tell me to knock it off and forget about it. You told me you would listen to me…Not even Sam has done that for me…Who wouldn’t fell in love with someone like you?...I guess I did.”

Crane just stood there in silence with his back facing her. Immobile like a statue.

The sole thought of Nikita actually “being in love with him” was ridiculous, impossible! What happened that night was nothing more but an act of impulse!

 “…You know nothing about me.” Crane whispered

She didn’t know about the monster that lay dormant under his skin. And if she valued her life then!

“And yet…you know everything about me. Don’t you find it ironic?” Nikita said while coming closer, her bravery getting the best of her “I don’t even know your birthday... I guess it’s silly. It wasn’t until that night, three weeks ago. That I came in term with my feelings. I guess I was in denial but...I found out that there was more than just admiration…”

At this point she was hugging him from behind. At first he wanted to take her hands and push her but he just couldn’t. Was she always that warm?

“Forgive this stupid girl. But… I love you, Jonathan Crane.”

She felt his rough fingers on top of hers. They were shaking as if he was nervous. Maybe it was a childish thought but how he could be nervous? Wasn’t he the all-powerful master of fear? Was he scared? Or maybe he was mad and was shaking with anger. Reading what Jonathan was thinking based of his reactions alone was difficult if not impossible. But she was no longer scared and whatever happened that night, she was ready to face it.

“…Love me? I’m old, ugly and nothing but a lanky psychology professor.”

“And yet I choose you.” She said while laying her head on his back

“Love, is a strong word Miss Bell. A very strong word, often misuse without really knowing-”

“I’m not a child! I know what it means, and I know how powerful such word can be. But believe me when I tell you, I’m not insane, I’m not drunk or not thinking about the consequences of using such word. I’m sure. I swear. I love you, Jonathan. I truly do.”

Jonathan didn’t say anything but she could feel he relaxed a lot. But he still didn’t move or say anything. She guessed he was analyzing everything. Maybe he couldn’t believe it or maybe he thought she was lying. The last one sound very reasonable. Smith wasn’t the only student to make fun of him and overall disrespect him. Maybe he was thinking a lot of what ifs, he was even risking his job in this one…But she knew something for sure…it was her time to go and let him think in peace and without pressure.

But before leaving, and idea crossed her mind. Maybe sign of trust would do the trick…Slowly she took out the spare key of her and Sam’s room and put it in his pocket.

“She is not coming back until next week.” She almost whispered

And after that she let go of him and leave his office with her heart hammering against her chest.

~Hours later~

“What were you thinking, Nikita!” Nikita said to herself while going back and forth on her room “You are one stupid…ughhh! With Lily it had been so much easier! But then again Lily was my neighbor not my professor! What was I thinking!?”

Finally she just gave up and decided to go to sleep. But something stopped her…a pink blush decorated her cheeks while an idea came to her mind. Slowly she took off her clothes and lay down under the covers facing her wall and waited.

For a moment it seemed like hours but in reality only 5 minutes had passed when she heard the lock on her door being removed and the door opening. For a moment her pessimistic side took control and she thought that Sam had come back from her trip. But there was only silence until the door closed.

She count the steps: 10. And then felt her bed creaked when someone lay next to her. She was nervous, while she had a boyfriend in the past they never reached this point. This was her first time with a man… did he even wanted such thing? But before she could think about it any longer, Nikita was already on top of him straddling his thin, bony hips.

Jonathan didn’t remember clearly what happened after he lay down on his student’s bed. He mainly remembered sensations, new feelings and the shadow of his student on top of him.

When he felt her straddling him, he was about to protest and push her away. But once more he told to himself who she was. She wasn’t going to hurt him. He could barely see her, so he had to mainly rely on touch and sound.  Slowly but firmly he grabbed her tights and then manage to grasp her hips. She was so soft and warm.

Nikita then put her hands on his and guide them to her chest. He heard a moan after he grasp both of her breasts. They were so soft yet firm at the same time. They were also quite small but he liked that for some reason. He then felt that Nikita started to move her hips in a slow and lazy way. He sat down and almost shyly brush his lips against hers. She sigh and then kiss him while hugging his neck.

Slowly the weight of his clothes left him. Little by little he started to feel more of her skin against his. At first he was shy but each time he touch her, he was rewarded with a moan or a sigh. And he was doing things right, he would hear his name leave those lips.

He lost his shyness and started to caress her breasts and sometimes pinching her nipples. His fingers traveled down her belly and then found what he was looking for. That beautiful bundle of nerves. He remembered something she wrote in her diaries, she hated to be touched directly. Soon enough it became more difficult for her to kiss him. Nikita wouldn’t stop moaning or sighing, and she started to thrust her hips while begging him not to stop. He comply and started to caress her clitoris’ hood in fast circles. And almost in no time, she moaned his name while tensing up. His fingers slowly went lower down and caress her lips and entrance, he could swear she was almost dripping.

He didn’t want to admit it but his ego went up to the stars. Back in high school, according to the popular boys like Bo Griggs, making a girl reach her orgasm was such an honor and goal that only true man like him could achieve. He thought in a very childish way that Bo couldn’t have done such thing. That Sherry never truly had an orgasm with that bulky imbecile. Now look who is laughing…

Those thoughts were very quickly put aside when he felt her student’s hand grasp his almost erect cock and try to return the favor by pumping it. A confident side he previously didn’t know about himself started to take control. Slowly one of his fingers caressed her entrance and without warning enter, she gasped and trust her hips.

He took advantage of the darkness and smiled while adding a second finger and starting to pump then in and out. He could feel her walls gripping his fingers, almost like if they were begging him to stay inside. Her moans started to get louder…he wasn’t going to be nice this time.

Without thinking, he took out his fingers and lay down once more while grabbing her hips. Nikita understood and lift her hips while blindly looking for his cock. He then felt a overall nice warm sensation covering him, he sigh while grasping harder her hips.

Then, he only remember the sound of skin slapping against skin, the beautiful and almost hypnotic moans of Nikita and a constant sensation of pleasure that couldn’t be compare with anything. He was almost sure that she had bruises on her hips since he was grabbing her too hard. He could feel himself coming closer so his right hand went back to her clitoris and as soon as he touch it, Nikita moan his name while trusting her hips faster.

After that he couldn’t remember anything but a overwhelming sensation of satisfaction, that sadly didn’t last very long. If it wasn’t because he didn’t have the energy he would have try to reach that sensation again. Nikita almost collapsed on top of him while panting, she slowly manage to sit up and kiss him one last time. Before getting off him and rolling to his side, her head and part of her chest resting on top of him. His arm curled next to her, not quite hugging her just holding her so her warm body wouldn’t leave his side.

Jonathan still couldn’t believe what just happened it was so surreal. He honestly didn´t know what to think about all of this. Besides confusion, guilt and regret was still present in both his mind and even his cold heart. Voices in his head constantly scold him for trying his experiments on her.

This feeling of guilt was begging to annoy him…He has never felt regret or guilt with his other guinea pigs. If anything he felt pity and disappointment that they die or faint too early in his experiments and couldn´t recollect more data. Such a waste of resources and time…

Ever since the deaths of each one of his tormentors, he came to the conclusion that fear was everything. Like a force of the universe it was just as necessary as gravity. Everything, every decision, every life was moved by fear. And you could either embrace it like he did or be another cowardly victim and die. But Nikita was a whole different thing, she didn´t belonged to either…he wasn´t 100% sure but after watching her for 7 years he could conclude that for the moment.

He wanted, he needed to continue his experiments but it was clear that using her as a guinea pig was no longer an option otherwise those feelings would get worse and wouldn´t leave him alone no matter how much he tried to conceal them. Not to mention the big confession his student just did; she claimed to love him. And that just made the feeling 10 times worse…

 “What have you done to me? What have you done?” he whispered


End file.
